Involvement of the voluntary and community sector
The Health and Social Care Act 2012, places a statutory duty on the Health and Wellbeing Board to continuously involve the local community throughout the JSNA process.
Active dialogue with the local community is essential in providing a wider perspective on key topics that supplement other evidence in the JSNA. The JSNA provides a vehicle for capturing the detailed knowledge that Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector organisations have of the needs of the communities they work for alongside gaps in service provision and issues of service quality and access. The JSNA also offers the Sector opportunities to not only promote the needs of their client groups but also to promote the services their organisation or groups provide.
Each topic report includes a section (“lived experience”) summarising the available information regarding the experience of residents living with a particular condition or health issue and what residents have told us about their experience as gathered through consultation and engagement exercises and local surveys.
Through the vehicle of the Health and Wellbeing Board, we have established an ongoing dialogue with Macc (the VCSE sector support organisation for the city of Manchester) as well as with Healthwatch Manchester and the local Patient and Public Advisory Group (PPAG).